Volkswagen GTI Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 131 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the Volkswagen GTI across 14 model years. The 2009 model year has the most (94). The words owners use most often: “abs control” (24% of reports).
- 131service brakes complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 11mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- 34%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- ABS control: mentioned in 31 of 131 complaints (24%)
- Engine fault workshop: mentioned in 10 of 131 complaints (8%)
- Module failed: mentioned in 10 of 131 complaints (8%)
- Electronic stability: mentioned in 8 of 131 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do service brakes problems happen?
Based on 107 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 131 complaints, 11 mention a crash, 3 an injury.
Volkswagen GTI service brakes complaints by model year
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:caliperDo not drive
Model years: 2018
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.
Electronic stability control (esc); service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Model years: 2009
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6 vehicles. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) control unit may fail during ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.
Risk: A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Model years: 1995
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The rear brake line on the passenger side was routed too close to the corner of the fuel tank. The line could be damaged by chafing against the fuel tank.
Risk: Repeated chafing could eventually result in a leaking brake line causing diminished braking in one brake circuit increasing the vehicle's stopping distance.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the brake line and replace any damaged lines.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Automatic Hill assist uses excessive brake force and for too long of a duration. This causes the vehicle to stall. Road inclination activation point of Hill assist is too sensitive. Brakes hold when it shouldn't. This is a factory default setting. Vehicle has stalled several times in traffic. This…
At random times, sometimes at first start, sometimes after its parked and started again, vehicle alerts to below errors: Travel Assist is currently not available Park Distance Control Rear Traffic Alert is currently not available VW has replaced one steering wheel and did some software adjustments…
Manual transmission car. Hill hold brake assist feature is dangerous and can be fixed with software update. This is truly dangerous. When stopped on an incline, the brakes automatically engage when stopped and hold the car from rolling backwards which might occur if the driver did not know how to…
The automatic âhill assistâ is dangerous in that it makes it easy to stall your car when trying to use your manual transmission. Itâs unintuitive and truly frustrating and can cause you to stall your car when you are pulling into traffic. The previous implementation of this on the Mk7 VW…
During moderate braking, the ABS system was violently pulsing the brakes on the left front wheel. This occured on about one dozen braking events over a 5-7 mile distance. Afterwards upon inspection, the left front brake smelled and radiated intense amounts of heat. There were no Warning Lights…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Volkswagen GTIs have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 131 owner complaints about service brakes for the Volkswagen GTI. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Volkswagen GTI service brakes?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list service brakes. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the Volkswagen GTI?
The most frequent phrase is “abs control”, in 31 of 131 complaints, followed by “engine fault workshop” (10).
Other Volkswagen GTI problems
- Engine problems (309)
- Power Train problems (306)
- Electrical System problems (209)
- Air Bags problems (123)
See all Volkswagen GTI problems.